The Pledge

I pledge allegiance to the citizens
Of the United States of America
Regardless of race, regardless of creed
Regardless of sex, regardless of need

I pledge allegiance to the environment
Of the United States of America
And to the animals and plants that grow
To the air we breathe and the waters that flow

I pledge allegiance to the workers
Of the United States of America
To a minimum wage that would earn a living
To protecting their bodies without misgiving

I pledge allegiance to the consumers
Of the United States of America,
To keep corporations from victimizing
Let the buyer beware of false advertising

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution
Of the United States of America
And to the ideals our forefathers sought
For which they died, for which they fought
When our nation's pristine and injustices lag
When we honor these things, we honor our flag

PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOK OF POETRY

Editor’s Note

The number one question our editors receive is—what do the editors and judges look for when judging the contest? The number one answer we give is creativity. Unlike prose, writing composed in everyday language, poetry is considered a creative art and requires a different type of effort and a certain level of depth. Of the thousands of poems entered in each contest, the ones that catch our judges’ eyes are the ones that remove us, even just slightly, from the scope of everyday life by using language that is interesting, specific, vivid, obscure, compelling, figurative, and so on. Oftentimes, poems are pulled aside for a second look based simply on certain words that intrigued the reader. So first and foremost, be sure your poetry is written using creative language. Take general ideas and make them personal. In his infamous book De/Compositions: 101 Good Poems Gone Wrong, W. D. Snodgrass imparts, “We cannot honestly discuss or represent our lives, any more than our poems, without using ideational language.”